8/05/2009

Update on Cass Sunstein's nomination

President Obama's choice to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs had Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, so upset that he blocked it - a move that puts only a temporary hold on the appointment. Now the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, a hunter advocacy group, says American sportsmen need to step in to make sure the block stays in place.

According to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Cass Sunstein supports animal rights. This is an important office that has the authority to block rules, including those that protect hunting and conservation. The pro-hunting organization says Sunstein has mentioned the possibility that hunting could be banned altogether if its sole purpose is human recreation.

There's no way of knowing how Maryland's senators, Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, both Democrats and normally supportive of the president's appointees, will react to Sunstein's nomination. The same holds for Virginia's two senators, Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner, also Democrats. But it probably wouldn't hurt to let them and your house representatives know how you feel about having an animal rightist in a position to seriously affect hunting and massive conservation programs funded by recreational hunters.